Amos Quito:cman: Racism runs deep. It is still in our psyche. We may be an enlightened species, but we have a major problem, and that is our programming. What is different could be dangerous. This is a primitive emotion from where bigotry comes from. In order for us to evolve we must accept who we are so we can recognize it and control it.

I strongly agree with this part of your statement.

The primal drive toward tribalism/ ethnocentrism/ nationalism/ racism no doubt served us as a species over the course of much of our evolution, but the world has become much too small a place as of late, and these tendencies have suddenly become a major liability - perhaps our single greatest liability.

Unfortunately I these tendencies are so heavily ingrained in our nature that they will not be easily eradicated, so I'm not terribly optimistic.

And strangely, there are many of us who insist that certain groups be not only allowed, but ENCOURAGED to continue on this treacherous path of separatism and particularism.

vygramul:Amos Quito: cman: Racism runs deep. It is still in our psyche. We may be an enlightened species, but we have a major problem, and that is our programming. What is different could be dangerous. This is a primitive emotion from where bigotry comes from. In order for us to evolve we must accept who we are so we can recognize it and control it.

I strongly agree with this part of your statement.

The primal drive toward tribalism/ ethnocentrism/ nationalism/ racism no doubt served us as a species over the course of much of our evolution, but the world has become much too small a place as of late, and these tendencies have suddenly become a major liability - perhaps our single greatest liability.

Unfortunately I these tendencies are so heavily ingrained in our nature that they will not be easily eradicated, so I'm not terribly optimistic.

And strangely, there are many of us who insist that certain groups be not only allowed, but ENCOURAGED to continue on this treacherous path of separatism and particularism.

Actually the Japenese were no sloths themselves. Millions slaughtered in China. Not to mention what they did to the citizens of other countries they "liberated" from the white western colonialists. And let's not forget unit 731 who performed medical and weapons experiments on pow's and civilians. Vivisection on downed B-29 crews, cannibalism, decapitation contests, mass rape.........they just weren't dumb enough to catalogue everything like the Germans.

Historically Jewish ghettos in Europe were the same as Jewish Quarters - the part of a city where Jews lived. Often there were laws requiring they live there and often they self segregated. The US with (now) no laws about where Jews can live still has Jewish enclaves and less formal areas such as Beverly Hills which are overwhelmingly Jewish. (I said "now" because many areas such as Garden City, LI, NY had a real-estate "understanding" that no houses would be sold to blacks or Jews).

HairBolus:Historically Jewish ghettos in Europe were the same as Jewish Quarters - the part of a city where Jews lived. Often there were laws requiring they live there and often they self segregated. The US with (now) no laws about where Jews can live still has Jewish enclaves and less formal areas such as Beverly Hills which are overwhelmingly Jewish. (I said "now" because many areas such as Garden City, LI, NY had a real-estate "understanding" that no houses would be sold to blacks or Jews).

Wikipedia says: "In the 19th century, Jewish ghettos were progressively abolished, and their walls taken down.". with no explanation of why or mention that in those places many Jews continued to live.

Yes the Nazis were evil assholes but they didn't build new Jewish Quarters but just herded those living outside them back in.

Red Shirt Blues:Actually the Japenese were no sloths themselves. Millions slaughtered in China. Not to mention what they did to the citizens of other countries they "liberated" from the white western colonialists. And let's not forget unit 731 who performed medical and weapons experiments on pow's and civilians. Vivisection on downed B-29 crews, cannibalism, decapitation contests, mass rape.........they just weren't dumb enough to catalogue everything like the Germans.

No, the Japanese just made it a religion that until the end of World War II, every man woman and child was taught. Death before dishonor to the Emperor.. Surprisingly enough, they were a LOT like the modern Jihadists and Al Queda groups that we fight today, and it bares a lot of resemblance to the post-war teaching and religion of Juche in North Korea during the Kim era.

There are numerous documented cases of the Japanese using suicide tactics - not just Kamakaze, but wiring their dead and dying with explosives, pulling grenades after surrendering, and using car and vehicle bombs, against their enemies.

Amos Quito:HairBolus: Historically Jewish ghettos in Europe were the same as Jewish Quarters - the part of a city where Jews lived. Often there were laws requiring they live there and often they self segregated.

Alonjar:St. Snuff: systematic genocide of millions by the Nazis is incomparable to any other act by man in history.

I guess you arent terribly familiar with human history. Genocide was always the order of the day... this is a very rare time in human history where genocide is frowned upon. Its a downright anomaly, really. You should read some eye witness accounts of the crusades some time... the nazi's were practically humane.

The Holocaust death numbers pale in comparison to the systematic killing of Native Americans. And they were both brutally evil.Also, at least Hitler didn't hack them up with machetes, like millions of Africans have suffered.

The Germans and to a more limited degree the Japanese were brutal bastards. That is until they met the Americans and then found out who the real top dog was.

But that thing - German Ordnung and engineering - there's a reason for it. The whole thing started because of the Treaty of Versailles - it left Germany destitute. But manufacturing concerns within the state wanted to ramp up for war and Hitler was only too willing.

The first push was into Poland - the Sudetenland. A lot of ethnic Germans lived in the western section of Poland.

It's just who the Nazi's chose to scapegoat. They were essentially doomed from the start. They put so many people to death that they suffered brain drain. Stupid really.

"You literally could not go anywhere in Germany without running into forced labor camps, P.O.W. camps, concentration camps," he said. "They were everywhere."

I would like to see a map with names and exact locations of all those camps. Not just a 100x100 pixel thumbnail with a bunch of gray dots on it. I wonder what's behind these "new discoveries"? Oh wait, the German economy is doing better than most, let's just hit 'em up for more Deutsch Marks or Euros or whatever can pay our bills (to build more condos on Palestinian territory)

SurelyShirley:"You literally could not go anywhere in Germany without running into forced labor camps, P.O.W. camps, concentration camps," he said. "They were everywhere."

I would like to see a map with names and exact locations of all those camps. Not just a 100x100 pixel thumbnail with a bunch of gray dots on it. I wonder what's behind these "new discoveries"? Oh wait, the German economy is doing better than most, let's just hit 'em up for more Deutsch Marks or Euros or whatever can pay our bills (to build more condos on Palestinian territory)

SurelyShirley:"You literally could not go anywhere in Germany without running into forced labor camps, P.O.W. camps, concentration camps," he said. "They were everywhere."

I would like to see a map with names and exact locations of all those camps. Not just a 100x100 pixel thumbnail with a bunch of gray dots on it. I wonder what's behind these "new discoveries"? Oh wait, the German economy is doing better than most, let's just hit 'em up for more Deutsch Marks or Euros or whatever can pay our bills (to build more condos on Palestinian territory)

Alonjar:St. Snuff: systematic genocide of millions by the Nazis is incomparable to any other act by man in history.

I guess you arent terribly familiar with human history. Genocide was always the order of the day... this is a very rare time in human history where genocide is frowned upon. Its a downright anomaly, really. You should read some eye witness accounts of the crusades some time... the nazi's were practically humane.

SurelyShirley:HairBolus: The US with (now) no laws about where Jews can live still has Jewish enclaves and less formal areas such as Beverly Hills which are overwhelmingly Jewish.

Beverly Hills is actually overwhelmingly Persian.The Jews migrated north to Encino and the like.

You are aware that there are a significant number of Persian Jews, right? Just because one is Persian does not mean they cannot also be Jewish. The classification of being Persian is completely independent of one's religious views.

St. Snuff:SurelyShirley: HairBolus: The US with (now) no laws about where Jews can live still has Jewish enclaves and less formal areas such as Beverly Hills which are overwhelmingly Jewish.

Beverly Hills is actually overwhelmingly Persian.The Jews migrated north to Encino and the like.

You are aware that there are a significant number of Persian Jews, right? Just because one is Persian does not mean they cannot also be Jewish. The classification of being Persian is completely independent of one's religious views.

I thank you. While I was aware that Persian is not a religion, I was not aware of the large number of Persian Jews in the United States. You learn something everyday.

kd1s:The Germans and to a more limited degree the Japanese were brutal bastards. That is until they met the Americans and then found out who the real top dog was.

Nah, I wouldn't give it to the Americans on being the most brutal. That honor had to go to the Russians. Especially with what they did to their German POWs. In some Russian POW camps, German soldiers had over a 90% mortality rate because of the way they were "taken care" of.

malaktaus:Lordserb: They may pale in comparison with the injustices done by other nations,

I wouldn't say that at all. Between slavery and the shiat we did to the Indians, I'd say we're right up there with the Germans when it comes to pure evil. We're a little less murderous, of course, but killing a person is far from the worst thing you can do to someone.

And let's not forget that the creation of this nation was nothing more or less than robbery on a massive scale.

Name one nation that did not invade another nation for land, goods or slaves. And I am not talking about some severely isolated, obscure, miniscule tribe in the middle of the rainforest.. Just one nation.

All nations invade and steal. The only reason why the Native Americans did not do the same when they invaded the lands and yes, because their Asian ancestors were as native to the Americas as their European counterparts, was because the land was empty. But as soon as their populations grew, they began invading and stealing from each other. Just look at pre-Columbian history to see this. The only thing that stopped them was the invading European forces.

doglover:America had concentration camps, too. It was the soup du jour of warfare to arrest citizens for the crime of ethnicity.

I feel bad for the old Japanese people that died in the camps not knowing if their families would be safe Also I remember an SF Examiner from the war years, the headline was, "Italian Fisherman has six sons in the Army but the Government won't let him work". The Feds prohibited foreign born citizens from operating or working on fishing boats, and the paper calling them out for it.

lohphat:doglover: America had concentration camps, too. It was the soup du jour of warfare to arrest citizens for the crime of ethnicity.

Are you comparing Dachau to Manzanar?

Really?

jake_lex:Holocaust denial is so vile, so scummy, and holocaust deniers are such horrid pieces of human shiat, that it's one of the few things I just cannot joke about.

The BBC series on Hitlers attempt to eradicate the Jews that is currently showing on Netflix, in 6 episodes, will change how you look at the Holocaust forever.I feel anger at self righteous asshats that carelessly throw around terms such as "Grammar Nazi" or "Soup Nazi" they certainly know not of what they speak.

The biggest problem that Hitlers S.S. faced was building an efficient system to kill and dispose of the bodies of MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of men and women and children.The ones that were allowed to live were used as slave labor and worked to DEATH.The money and jewels and gold they stole from anyone that came into the Nazi SS killing machine was skimmed before what was left was sent to Berlin.The murderous swine was also corrupt, how surprising.Being sent to the concentration camps was not unique to Jews either. Political dissidence also would cause you to be arrested and sent to the camps..

mekki:All nations invade and steal. The only reason why the Native Americans did not do the same when they invaded the lands and yes, because their Asian ancestors were as native to the Americas as their European counterparts, was because the land was empty. But as soon as their populations grew, they began invading and stealing from each other. Just look at pre-Columbian history to see this. The only thing that stopped them was the invading European forces.

You are not kidding, I have been reading some stuff about Guatemala and Mexico circa 400 AD where a major war wiped out millions. Cities were cleaned out of all people, the cruel treatment of the prisoners made the Nazi's look like pansies. If the men were captured alive, they were forced to watch their wives and daughters be raped before killing them on one side, and the other side would cut the man up, cook him and made his family eat him. Neither side allowed the other to surrender, it ended with the total slaughter of one side. The record was written by the last man of the losing side who escaped to live out his life alone. It is amazing what archeologists are finding down there.